1982 BMW 1.5-liter F1 Turbo
I love a good turbocharger, and this is certainly one of the best. The carbon-fiber shell for the turbo unit and the engine cover itself has a very National Aeronautics and Space Agency feel to it — showing how advanced this material was in the early 1980s.
No company had brought the artful woven patterns we take for granted today from Pagani and all the rest — C-F and Carbon-Kevlar were simply the strongest materials known to man.
Looks were a firm afterthought on the space shuttles as much as for this F1 engine.
But when you peel away the racing bodywork: the elegant beauty of the total power, suspension and transmission unit really leaps off the page, at least to these eyes.
This BMW four-cylinder is just a 1.5-liter, producing such huge boost that it became an overall showcase of the original BMW 2002 engine block’s strength in the most challenging durability testing ever envisioned.
This engine powered the Brabham team to victory in 1983. Please enjoy these photos and the hokey video (above) of me explaining what some of these giant engine components are and what they do.
For a clearer idea of this engine’s sound and track presence, check out the clip below as well!
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.